Universities in Cotonou, Benin Offering Nursing: 2026 Guide

Two public institutes train nurses and midwives at degree level in Benin Republic: INMeS in Cotonou, part of the University of Abomey-Calavi, and IFSIO at the University of Parakou. Both are listed in the Ministry of Higher Education's 2026–2027 guide for new baccalauréat holders. That guide lists no nursing programme at any private university. This page covers both institutes, how entry works, what to ask a private school that offers you nursing, and what Nigeria's Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMCN) asks of nurses trained in Benin.

One thing to know before you apply: Nigeria's evaluation of Benin and Togo degrees for NYSC is currently suspended. Your school's licence and courses are not affected. See the NYSC section below.

• INMeS (Institut National Médico-Sanitaire), Cotonou: a public institute of the University of Abomey-Calavi. Licence (bachelor's) in nursing sciences and in obstetric (midwifery) sciences, plus master's options.

• IFSIO (Institut de Formation en Soins Infirmiers et Obstétricaux), Parakou: a public institute of the University of Parakou, in northern Benin. Nursing care and obstetric care, leading to the state nurse and state midwife diplomas.

• Private universities: the ministry's 2026–2027 guide lists no nursing or midwifery programme at a private school, in either its approved-programmes or its open-programmes section.

The INMeS website and the ministry guide are in French, and French is Benin's official language. Plan to study in French unless the institute tells you otherwise.

INMeS describes itself as the largest school for nurses and midwives in Benin. Its history goes back to 1963, when Benin (then Dahomey) opened its first national school for state nurses. Today it is a public institute for training and research in nursing and obstetric sciences, part of the University of Abomey-Calavi, under the Ministry of Higher Education.

• Address: Rue 395, Avenue Jean-Paul II, Awanleko, Cotonou

• Licence (initial training): two tracks, Nursing Sciences (Sciences infirmières) and Obstetric Sciences (Sciences obstétricales). Training leads to the state nurse and state midwife qualifications.

• Length: a licence in Benin's LMD system is the baccalauréat plus 3 years.

• Master's options: include paediatrics and childcare, gynaecology and obstetrics, mental health, and anaesthesia and intensive care.

• For working nurses: a hybrid continuing-education licence track (formation continue).

• Website: inmes.uac.bj

In the ministry's 2026–2027 guide, INMeS has 40 state scholarship places in Nursing Sciences and 40 in Obstetric Sciences, filled by a competitive entrance exam (concours).

IFSIO opened in January 2016 in Parakou. Until then, INMeS was the only institute in Benin training nurses and midwives at licence level.

• Programmes: Nursing Care (Soins infirmiers), leading to the state nurse diploma (Infirmier diplômé d'État), and Obstetric Care (Soins obstétricaux), leading to the state midwife diploma (Sage-femme diplômée d'État)

• 2026–2027 state scholarship places: 50 in Nursing Care and 50 in Obstetric Care, by entrance exam

• Location: Parakou, in northern Benin, not Cotonou. Plan your accommodation in Parakou.

• Baccalauréat series C or D (the science series). The ministry guide lists C or D for both institutes.

• Entrance exam or file review. INMeS says first-year entry is either by competitive exam, for Benin state scholarship holders, or by review of your file for everyone else.

• Recommended subjects: physics-chemistry (PCT) and life and earth sciences (SVT).

Nigerian applicants: ask the institute at the start how your WAEC or NECO result is treated against the C or D baccalauréat requirement and whether you sit the entrance exam or go through file review. If you plan to work in Nigeria later, you will also need the NMCN credits in the section below, whatever the Benin school accepts.

Some private schools advertise nursing to Nigerian students. Here is how to confirm a programme is the real thing:

• The ministry's 2026–2027 guide lists no nursing or midwifery programme at any private school.

• In 2005 the Benin government closed many private schools training nurses and midwives, citing poor supervision, especially in clinical training. INMeS took in most of their students.

• NMCN will not accept a nursing programme that is online or part-time.

If a private school offers you nursing, ask for the ministry authorisation for that exact programme, where your clinical placements will happen, and which diploma you will receive. A school-level licence does not prove a nursing programme is approved. Our page on accredited universities in Benin Republic shows how to check a school and a programme.

Every graduate of a foreign nursing school must register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) and get a licence before practising in Nigeria. NMCN's registration page has a section for nurses trained in Benin, Niger, Sudan and other French-speaking countries. On 20 October 2026 it listed:

• A non-refundable application fee of ₦45,500, paid to NMCN through Remita.

• Authentication of your school and certificate by Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission.

• Transcripts of all your nursing courses, sent by the school straight to NMCN.

• At least five credits in English, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry and Physics, in no more than two sittings (WAEC/SSCE, GCE or NECO).

• Your residence permit for the years of study, a letter from the school giving the length of training, and a passport stamped for exit and entry over that period.

• A programme that is not online or part-time.

• An NMCN indexing number obtained before the programme starts.

• 18 months of training in an approved school of nursing in Nigeria, then the Council's professional examinations.

So a Benin nursing degree does not let you practise in Nigeria straight away. Plan for the NMCN steps, and get your indexing number before you start. The Federal Ministry of Education, which must authenticate your certificate, is the same ministry whose evaluation of Benin degrees is suspended (see the NYSC section below), so ask NMCN in writing how that step works for Benin certificates today. NMCN's general page for foreign-trained nurses lists a slightly different route (a screening interview, at least six months of orientation and a qualifying exam), so confirm the current steps with NMCN at nmcn.gov.ng before you enrol.

On 3 January 2024, Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Education suspended the accreditation of degree certificates from universities in Benin Republic and Togo, after an investigation into certificate racketeering. You can read the report and the list of affected universities at TheNigeriaLawyer.

Here is what that means for you:

• It is temporary. The resolution process is ongoing. Beninfo247 understands that the government has agreed to resolve it and that the remaining step is the Ministry of Education's public statement allowing graduates to proceed. On 11 March 2026, a House of Representatives committee recommended that the blanket invalidation be rescinded and replaced with case-by-case verification (report).

• It only affects NYSC. Until it is resolved, graduates of Benin and Togo universities cannot be mobilised for NYSC. After it is resolved, they can continue.

• Licences are not revoked and courses have not stopped. The suspension is a Nigerian decision about certificate evaluation. It is not a Benin decision. The schools on this list continue to operate and teach.

Our advice: you can study now, and plan to serve once the Ministry confirms. For the full explanation, read NYSC and Nigerian recognition for Benin Republic degrees.

We could not find fees for students outside the state scholarship online (20 October 2026), so ask the institute directly and get the amount in writing. For typical tuition and living costs across Benin, see our tuition and accommodation guide.

Which universities in Cotonou offer nursing? In Cotonou, nursing and midwifery are taught at INMeS, the University of Abomey-Calavi's national institute for nurses and midwives. The other public option is IFSIO at the University of Parakou, in northern Benin.

How long is a nursing degree in Benin? A licence in Benin's LMD system is the baccalauréat plus 3 years. Master's programmes come after the licence.

Is nursing taught in English in Benin? The INMeS website and the ministry guide are in French. Plan to study in French unless the institute confirms otherwise.

Can I work as a nurse in Nigeria with a Benin nursing degree? Not straight away. You must register with NMCN first. Its section for nurses trained in Benin lists 18 months of training in an approved Nigerian school of nursing and the Council's professional exams, among other steps.

Can I study nursing online in Benin? NMCN does not accept online or part-time nursing programmes, so an online nursing degree will not lead to a Nigerian licence.